In contrast, Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act labels concealed-carry permit information as protected information, meaning the state Bureau of Criminal Identification cannot release the information, nor even confirm if someone has a permit or has lost one.

But Louisiana’s laws, passed in response to a New York newspaper’s publication of a list of handgun-permit holders, only carves out an exemption for reporting that a permit was revoked after its holder was convicted of a gun-related felony.

“There are limitations on First Amendment rights,” said Republican state Rep. Jeff Thompson, the bills’ sponsor. “You have to balance those.”

But media advocates say the move amounts to censorship by punishing journalists for publishing information they obtained from other sources.

“The Second Amendment relates to your right to own firearms,” Louisiana media lawyer Loretta Mince said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with whether other people are permitted to know that you own firearms.”